It’s “pitchforks and torches time”, a prominent conservative sheriff tweeted on Saturday, with a condemnation of the government and media that echoes the increasingly heated rhetoric of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. David A Clarke, the elected sheriff of Milwaukee County, is a leading Trump supporter who has previously called Black Lives Matter activists the “enemy”. Pitchforks and torches time pic.twitter.com/8G5G0daGVNClarke’s comments come at a time of growing anxiety over Trump’s repeated claims, without evidence, that the presidential election is rigged against him. A spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether the organization approved of Clarke’s “pitchforks and torches” rhetoric. After his pitchforks tweet, Clarke tweeted again directly to Trump supporters, citing the New Testament and sharing a photograph of himself with the Republican nominee.

Source: The Guardian October 15, 2016 20:34 UTC